Five Years
by JasonMorganfan87
Summary: Jason and Sam finally discuss what has been taken from them over the last five years and deal with the pain they've suffered. What will come out of it? Will Sam stay with Drew or realize her heart is with Jason? How will Jason deal with everything he's lost?
1. Chapter 1

**Five Years**

 **A/N: For those who haven't seen it, this story contains some spoilers from today's episode. Takes place just as Jason goes to leave Sam's office.**

Jason started to walk out of Sam's office, trying and failing to keep the pain in his heart from consuming him. Sam had called him there to ask for a divorce. While he wasn't surprised by it, it didn't stop it from killing him inside. His wife didn't want to be married to him anymore. She wanted to be married to his brother, the brother she'd thought was him for the last few years. It was devastating. It was worse than anything he'd ever been through, with the exception of thinking Jake was dead. It was worse even than being locked in that clinic in Russia.

Jason grabbed ahold of the wall. The pain was so bad that it was physically affecting him. He felt like his legs were going to give out. It was just too much. He'd lost absolutely everything. His wife loved another man, his sons called that man 'dad', and he'd lost five years of his life.

Sam got up as soon as she saw Jason start to lose his balance. She immediately ran over to help him. "Jason! Jason, are you…"

Jason flinched away just as Sam went to touch his arm. "No, don't touch me!"

Sam immediately took a step back in shock. Jason had never reacted like that with her before. He'd never recoiled at her touch. She couldn't deny that it hurt that he did it now.

"I'm sorry. Just please, don't touch me," Jason said. His voice was softer, but riddled with pain.

"I…I just wanted to help you. You should come sit down," Sam said.

"No, I need to get out of here," Jason said. If he stayed her with her, it would only get worse. Every time he was around her, he felt like his chest was on fire.

"Jason, you nearly collapsed. You shouldn't leave until You're sure you're okay," Sam said.

"Damn it, Sam, being here is the reason I'm not okay!" Jason snapped before he could think straight enough to stop himself. "Sorry."

"I…I don't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry, but I love…"

"Please stop telling me how much you love him! Every time I see you, you say the same thing, and it kills me every time," Jason said.

Sam looked away. She didn't know what to say. It was the first time since he came back that Jason talked about how he felt. He told her he loved right before he started to leave today, but he didn't talk about his pain. He always said it was only how she felt that mattered. She knew better though. She knew he was in pain. She chose to ignore it because she didn't know how to deal with it. She didn't know how to deal with him anymore.

"I know how you feel, so please, just stop saying it," Jason begged. He couldn't hear it even one more time. He would scream. Well, he supposed he just did.

"I'm not trying to hurt you by saying it. I just want you to know how I feel. Look, this whole thing is hard for me too," Sam said.

"Do you honestly think hearing how much you love him can do anything else but hurt me? Do think that the fact that you'll barely talk to me, and when you do, it's all about your love him doesn't hurt me. You can't even have a conversation with me without being forced," Jason said.

"That's not true," Sam said, though there wasn't much confidence in her reply.

"The first time you sought out to talk to me was to help Drew," Jason said.

Sam cringed. She still felt bad about doing that. It wasn't right for her to go to him knowing she was choosing Drew. "You said you understood that."

"I did, but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt. Just like it hurts every time you talk to me, but you don't really. You talk about Drew and how much he's hurting and how much you love him. Of course, that's when you can't just walk away without talking to me at all. It's like I'm some ex that you can't stand and are forced to deal with," Jason said with pain in his voice.

Sam wanted to deny that was true, but she couldn't. She tried her best not to talk to him because she knew how much it would hurt. She knew it would take her back to the way things used to be and she didn't want to go there. It hurt too much. But she wasn't being fair. By refusing to deal with everything that happened five years and afterward, she was saying to Jason that it didn't matter. That he hadn't mattered to her. That she'd replaced him with Drew. She couldn't do that any longer, not to him or herself. She couldn't pretend that what happened five years ago didn't impact everything in their lives. "You don't know what it was like. It took everything I had just to survive each day. You know that I dove in after you. I searched for as long as I could, and even when I couldn't find you, I didn't give up. I was sure you were out there somewhere. Even when everyone else tried to convince me that you were dead. It took Faison admitting to kicking you into the harbor and watching you sink to the bottom.

Sam had to stop for a few moments. Tears were pouring down her face and she couldn't even speak coherently for a second. This was exactly what she was afraid of. "Then I had to not only face that you were gone, but I had to be a single mother. I had to look at Danny everyday and deal with the fact that he would never know you.

"I only got to be a father to Danny for a few hours. I missed everything in his life. I couldn't be there when he took his first steps or said his first word. I didn't get to walk him to his class on his first day of school. The worst part is that I don't even feel like that time has passed. It feels like just a few months for me," Jason said.

"Well, his first steps and first word weren't exactly a happy time. It was overshadowed by the fact that he was sick," Sam said.

"What?" Jason asked concerned.

"I assumed Carly or Sonny would've told you. Jason, Danny had Leukemia," Sam said as gently as she could.

"What? He had cancer?" Jason asked, suddenly frantic. His little boy was so sick he could've died. Was he okay now? Could the cancer come back?

"Yes, but he's okay now. He has to take tests every year, but so far, he's good," Sam assured him.

Jason leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. "I should've been there. They took everything to me. I couldn't even be with my son while he fought cancer."

Sam watched Jason fall apart as the realization of all he'd lost finally hit him. She hadn't really seen his pain before. She'd heard his story, but she didn't see his pain. She supposed he had tried to distance himself from it just like she had.

Sam went over and sat down next to Jason. "I wanted you there so badly. I prayed to have you there for us, knowing you couldn't be."

"I could've been. They took that chance from me. They took my life and gave it to _him_ ," Jason said with some resentment in his voice. He knew that Drew wasn't responsible, but a part of him couldn't help but hate his brother for taking what was his.

Sam felt an urge to defend Drew, but knew not to. Drew didn't have a place in this conversation. This was about her and Jason and what was taken from them. "I'm sorry. I couldn't deal with your pain before because I knew it would hurt me. That's why I tried to stay away from you."

I'm sorry. I shouldn't be making you relive all this," Jason said.

Sam couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed ahold of her husband and started to cry. She knew he'd asked her not to touch him, but she had to. She'd finally let it all go, and in doing so, it finally became real to her that he was back. "I…I'm so glad you're back, Jason. I missed you so much."

Jason held her and cried with her.


	2. Chapter 2

Sam sat on the couch with a picture of herself, Drew, and the kids, and one of her, Jason, and Danny. She'd spent most the night sitting like this. After she and Jason finally pulled themselves off the floor of her office, she spent several hours just driving, trying to find a way to figure out what was next. Because after what happened, she could no longer pretend she could just move on with Drew like Jason never came back, like what had happened to them didn't matter.

Sam looked back and forth between the two pictures of the two men she loved. That seemed strange and wrong for her to even think about, but she loved both of them. Jason had been everything to her for a long time. He made her who she was. He made her see that she could be someone other than the con-woman who came to town. He was the reason she was able to be such a good mother to her kids. He taught her she was capable of it when she was pregnant with Lila. She'd loved him ever since, and that love didn't disappear when he 'died'.

Then there was Drew. It was true that in the beginning, her desire to be with him was because she thought he was Jason. She'd wanted back what she'd lost. But she got to know him for who he was. She loved that man. However, that didn't change the fact she also still loved Jason. She was in love with both of them, and she knew that wasn't right.

Sam soon heard footsteps on the stairs. She turned around to see her son coming down. "Hey, sweetie. You're up early."

Danny ran over to his mother. "You weren't in your bed when I came to get you."

"No, I got up early too. Is Daddy awake?" Sam asked her son.

"Uh huh. He's gonna check on Scout and then we're gonna have pancakes!" Danny sad excitedly before sitting down on the couch. He saw the pictures his mother was holding and pointed to one of them. "That's my other daddy."

"Yes, it is."

"Is that baby me?" he asked.

"Yeah. That was the last time he got to see you," Sam said. It was also pretty much the first. It made the situation so unfair. Jason had barely had a chance to spend any time with Danny before it was all taken from him.

"He looks happy. He's smiling. He looks sad whenever I see him. He says he's happy, but I don't think he is," Danny said.

"Well, he is, but he isn't. He's happy to be back and to be able to see you, but he's sad because he lost a lot of time with you and your brother. He lost a lot of things," Sam said sadly.

"Why did he have to go away?" Danny asked.

Sam took a deep breath and tried to think of the best way to explain this to him. Danny couldn't really understand all of what had happened. "Some bad people wanted to hurt him, so they took him away."

"Why?" he asked.

"We don't know yet, but we're trying to find out," Sam said.

"When will I see him again?"

"You can see him whenever you want. I know he wants to come see you. If you want, I can call him, and we can pick out a time for him to come over," Sam said.

Danny nodded that he did want that. "He's my daddy too, so I should call him 'Daddy', right?"

"Well, you can if you want, but you don't have to. He would be okay with it if you just called him by his name," Sam said. She knew there was no part of Jason that would even think of pushing Danny on this. He knew this was a difficult situation.

"What is his name?" Danny asked. He only knew the man as his mommy's friend, and now his other daddy. No one told him his name.

"His name is Jason," Sam said.

"Like Daddy's name was," Danny said.

"That's right, but now we all call Daddy 'Drew' because that's his real name," Sam explained.

"Can I call him 'Daddy Jason', Danny asked.

Sam smiled. "I think he'd like that."

Just then, Drew came downstairs. "Hey, guys."

"Hey," Sam said as she turned towards him. "Is Scout still asleep."

"Yeah, it looks like we have a little extra time this morning before she demands our attention.

"Do we get pancakes now?" Danny asked.

Drew laughed. "Sure, buddy. Why don't get a head start and meet me in the kitchen. You can help me."

"Yay!" Danny exclaimed before getting up and running to the kitchen.

"You didn't come to bed last night," Drew said once their son was out of the room. He then noticed the pictures in Sam's hands and pointed to the one with his brother in it. "I thought we packed that away."

"Yeah, we did," Sam said. Once Drew came into her life and she thought he was Jason, she thought it would be a good idea to pack away the pictures of him with his old face. They worried Danny would ask questions, and he wouldn't understand that his father once had another face. "But Danny knows now who Jason is. There's no reason to keep it tucked away.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Maybe Danny will want it. So, I didn't hear you come in last night and you didn't come to bed. Were you avoiding me?" Drew asked.

Before either of them could say anything else, Danny's voice rang out from the kitchen. "Daddy, come on!"

Drew hesitated for a second before heading for the kitchen.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

A few hours later, Sam was shutting the front door after seeing her kids off with her sister, Molly. She'd asked Molly to take them so that she and Drew could talk.

Sam walked towards the couch where Drew was waiting with an apprehensive look on his face.

"I can't imagine that what you have to say can be good, since you sent the kids away," Drew said. Actually, he knew pretty much since he got up this morning that things were going to get bad. Sam had avoided him last night and she barely said much to him today. He felt like his world was about to fall apart, again.

Sam sat down next to Drew. It took a few moments for her to speak, as she was trying to figure out the kindest way to say this to him. "We can't get married." After last night, there wasn't much she was certain about, but she was certain that she could not jump into marriage right now. It was the worst thing she could do.

"He wouldn't agree to a divorce? You can take him to court if you have to."

"No, it's not that. He agreed. Jason would never force me to stay married to him," Sam said.

"So, then you don't want to get married," Drew said with hurt laced in his voice.

"Please listen to me for a minute. Things went according to plan until Jason went to leave. Then he fell apart. He almost collapsed right in front of me," Sam said.

"Wait, so you don't want to get married because you don't think he can handle it. Don't let him manipulate you like that," Drew said. He was becoming angry. How dare the bastard try manipulating Sam's feelings to force her back to him.

"No, that's not what happened. Jason would never manipulate me. He doesn't manipulate anyone. He doesn't play games like that. You should know that. You have all his memories," Sam said defensively.

Drew flinched slightly at the reminded of how screwed up his life was. He had someone else's memories and none of his him.

"Oh, Drew, I'm sorry. Look, this wasn't about manipulation. This was about everything crashing down on him. Everything that had been taken from him just hit him all at once and he couldn't keep it bottled up anymore. Neither could I." Sam said.

"I didn't realize you were bottling anything up," Drew said.

"I tried to convince myself that I wasn't. I told myself everything was fine and that what happened in the last five years didn't matter. I was lying to myself. I lost my husband, then I thought he came back, and then I learned that he never did, until now. I didn't want to deal with that," Sam told him.

"Because you were trying to help me," Drew said. Now he felt guilty. He never considered much what this all meant for Sam. He was reeling too much from everything he felt he'd lost to even ask his wife what it all meant for her.

"That wasn't the only reason. I've told you a little bit about what losing Jason was like for me, but you can't really imagine it. I didn't want to go back there. I didn't want to deal with that pain again or face what him being back meant for my future. I wanted to hide from it. By doing that, I made things worse for him. He probably felt like I wished he'd stayed dead," Sam said. She felt really bad for the way she'd treated him. She'd showed barely any emotion when talking to him, and that was when she actually talked to him. She treated him worse than an enemy. She tried him like he was nobody to her.

"It sounds like you did finally deal with it," Drew commented.

Sam nodded. "After hearing his pain and how I made it worse, I had face my own. I had to start facing the implications of him being back and not being you."

"And what are those?" Drew asked, almost afraid of the answer.

Sam took a deep breath. "There's something I need to tell you. The night Jason and I were trapped on the Haunted Star, we kissed."

Drew got up and crossed the room. He stood in front of the balcony as tears started to well in his eyes. "You're in love with him."

"Yes," Sam admitted. She couldn't lie to him or herself about that anymore.

Drew was quiet for a few moments, fighting as hard as he could to gain control of himself before he spoke again. "I have to ask you something. Did you only love me because you thought I was him?"

"No," Sam said immediately before going over and taking him by the arm, turning him to look at her. "I came to love you, Drew. You had Jason's memories, but there were things about you that made you different from him, and I loved those things. But I just can't say that I don't love him too. That's why we can't get married."

"Because you can't marry me when you might love him more," Drew said in despair.

"Because I have so many things to figure out and so do you. And, yeah, one of those things is if I love you more than him, but that's just one of many things," Sam said.

Drew nodded and wiped his eyes. "I should go."

"Y…you don't have to," Sam said. She knew that he wasn't just talking about leaving for a few hours. He was talking about moving out.

"Yes, I do. You're right, we can't be together right now, and I think that includes living together. I think we both need to be on our own," Drew said.

Sam started to cry, knowing he was right. "I could go."

"No, this is your home. I'll go stay at a hotel. Look, I'm going to go for a drive right now. I'll come back later to pack and help explain things to Danny," Drew said before heading for the door. He grabbed his jacket and headed out.

Sam cried as she watched the man she'd loved for the past two years leave. She wanted to stop him, but she knew he was right. They couldn't even live together right now. They had to figure out where their individual lives went from here, and Sam had to decide if it was him she really wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

Sam went back to the couch and cried freely for everything that had happened, both over the last few weeks and over the last five years.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Sam opened her front door to find Jason on the other side. She wasn't surprised. She invited him over to come see Danny. "Hey. Come on in."

"Thanks," Jason said before stepping inside. "Thank you for letting me come see Danny."

Sam shut the door behind him. "Are you kidding? Danny has been asking to see you." Her son had been really happy when she informed him his father was coming over. He couldn't wait to show 'Daddy Jason' his room and play with him.

"Really?" Jason asked with a spark in his eye. It made him happy to hear that Danny wanted to see him. He'd seemed okay when the told him who he was to him, but Jason worried that it would be hard to bond with Danny.

"Yeah. I showed him the photo of the three of us and he asked to see you. He asked when he could see you again, and I told him I'd call you," Sam explained.

"Sam, before Danny comes down, I just want to apologize for what happened the other day. I shouldn't have lost it like that," Jason said. He felt bad for putting all that on her. It wasn't her fault that they were separated. She didn't need to feel bad for moving on.

"Jason, no. Don't apologize to me. I'm the one who screwed up, and I'm the one who is sorry," Sam said firmly.

"You didn't do anything," Jason said.

"Yeah, that's sort of the problem. From that moment you came back, I was content to ignore you whenever possible. I couldn't even bring myself to talk to you after the truth came out," Sam said.

"You had to help Drew," Jason said. It had hurt more than he could say that she'd treated him like that, but he knew she had to think about Drew and what he was going through. He was the one… He was the one she loved now.

"No. Don't let me use Drew anymore. Yeah, Drew was in pain and I wanted to help him, but I used him as an excuse to distance myself from you. That was so unfair, to both of you," Sam said before going over to the couch and sitting down. "The truth is, Jason, it wasn't about Drew. I felt for him, but I allowed myself to get lost in his pain so I wouldn't have to deal with mine."

Jason walked over and sat down next to her.

"I went through it all already, Jason. I lived through losing you and getting you back. I thought that was over. You showing up completely blindsided me, even after Drew told me there was someone walking around with your face," Sam said.

"I'm sorry," Jason said.

"Please stop apologizing," Sam begged as her voice started to crack. "I'm the one who needs to apologize. I made you feel like I wished you were gone. I know I made you feel that way because you said you felt like an ex that I couldn't stand to be around."

"I shouldn't have said that," Jason said quietly.

"Yes, you should because that is you feel because of me. I am so sorry for making you feel like that, because that is not who you are! That is not something you will ever be to me. I'm glad you said it, Jason. Seeing and hearing your pain was the only way for me to wake up and realize what I was doing to you. I was making what happened to you worse. You were gone for five years. You had to fight like hell to come home, and then you had to watch your wife treat you like a stranger," Sam said.

Jason sighed. "I told Danny I was happy when I came back and saw you and him happy with Drew, but I wasn't. Aside from losing Lila and Jake, nothing ever hurt worse."

"I know."

"You're not the only one who was hiding, you know. I haven't wanted to deal with what happened to me, so I've been trying to bury myself in finding out who was responsible. I guess I hoped it would take my mind off of it," Jason said. Talking to Sam, both the other night and now, made him see that his pain didn't just stem from Sam rejecting him. He had been gone for five years, even if it didn't seem like that long. There was a lot to deal with there.

"You've lost so much, and you'll never get it all back," Sam said. Nothing would ever be the same. Even if she chose Jason over Drew, a choice she couldn't even think about right now, he'd still lost five years. He could never recover that time, nor could he forget that it was gone. Andre Maddox, Faison, and whoever else was involved, had done irreversible damage to them.

Jason got up and crossed the room. "Five years have passed. You moved on to Drew, one of my sons grew up without me, and my other son hates me."

"Jake doesn't hate you, Jason. He just understands the situation better than Danny does. In Danny's eyes, he's just gained another father. He can't comprehend what has actually happened. Jake, on the other hand, understands the concept of DNA. He understands that blood no longer makes Drew his father. That scares him. He's afraid he'll lose Drew. The fact that Lucky brought him home, told him he was his father, and then took off probably doesn't help much. He will see one day that loving you doesn't mean he can't love Drew," Sam told him.

Just then, there were footsteps on the stairs. Sam turned to see Danny coming down. "Hey, sweetie. Look who's here."

Jason turned and smiled at his son. "Hey, Danny."

"Daddy Jason," Danny exclaimed before running over and giving his father a hug.

A shell-shocked Jason hugged his son. He couldn't believe it. Danny had just called him 'Daddy'. It was more than he ever expected, especially so soon. He hadn't been so happy since he came back. His son was actually okay enough to call him 'Daddy'.

Sam grinned. That moment was just amazing. She knew Danny had made Jason very happy, even if just for that moment. He'd made him forget about everything he lost. It was great.

Danny pulled away after a minute. "Do you wanna see my room?"

"Yeah, I'd loved to. I was thinking first though, I could take you to lunch at Kelly's," Jason said before turning to Sam. "Is that okay?"

"Of course it is," Sam said without any hesitation.

"Yay! Are you gonna come too, Mommy?" Danny asked.

"No, honey. Just you and Daddy Jason. Go upstairs and get one of your sweatshirts. It's really cold out and I want you to bundle up," Sam said.

"Okay," Danny said before running upstairs.

"He's going to sucker you into a milkshake or ice cream. He won't care about how cold it is," Sam said with a chuckle.

"Is that okay?" Jason asked.

"You don't have to ask me. Danny is your son too. What you do with him is up to you," Sam said. She didn't want Jason to feel like he had to get her permission for everything. Obviously big decisions would have to be agreed upon, but something as simple as a treat wasn't something that he needed her input on when it was his time with their son.

"Thanks," Jason said.

Danny soon came downstairs in a red sipped up hoodie. He went over and grabbed his shoes. He put them over and then went over to Jason. "Help me tie them, Daddy Jason?"

"Yeah, of course," Jason said before bending down and tying the boy's shoes.

"Okay, go grab your coat. Remember, you do whatever Daddy Jason says, okay?" Sam asked.

"Yes, Mommy. Will Daddy be back when we get home?" Danny asked.

Sam sighed. "No, honey. Daddy's going to be staying somewhere else. We already talked about that. But he'll be by to see you and Scout soon."

Jason was shocked to hear what his wife had to say. Drew wasn't living in the penthouse any longer? Just the other day, Sam had been planning to marry him. Had that changed?

Jason was soon pulled out of his shock by Danny tugging on his hand. He must have been lost in thought for a moment because the boy already had his coat, hat, and gloves on.

"Come on, Daddy Jason, I'm hungry," Danny said.

"Okay, let's go," Jason said before leading him to the door by the hand.


	4. Chapter 4

Sam was sitting on the couch playing with Scout when she heard a knock at the door. She went to answer it and found Drew on the other side. "Hey. I didn't know you were coming by.

"I decided last minute. I wanted to see the kids. Hey, sweetheart," Drew said to Scout before taking her from Sam's arms. He immediately walked inside with his daughter.

"They've missed you," Sam said as she closed the door.

"Not as much as I missed them. Danny!" Drew called towards the stairs. "I thought I could take the kids out for a walk or something."

"Uh, Danny isn't here. Like I said, I didn't know you were coming," Sam said.

"Oh. Is he with your mom?" Drew asked.

"No. He's with Jason," Sam said. Jason came and took Danny for the day at least once a week. Things were going well for father and son. Danny was starting to get extremely comfortable with Jason, not that he was ever uncomfortable with him. He loved his time with 'Daddy Jason'.

Drew suddenly looked hurt and disappointed. "Oh. I didn't realize Jason was taking Danny out of the house."

"Why wouldn't he be?" Sam asked.

"Well, Danny doesn't really know him," he said.

"Danny's always happy when Jason comes to take him. He's been excited since yesterday for their day together," Sam said.

"This isn't the first time?" Drew asked. His demeanor made it clear he wasn't happy.

"No. It's been a couple of weeks. Is there a problem?" Sam asked. Drew seemed really annoyed that Jason and Danny were spending time together. She could understand him being upset, but he needed to understand that Jason had a right to spend time with Danny.

"I'm just not sure why you wouldn't talk to me about it before Jason started taking Danny," Drew said as he put Scout in her playpen.

"Because I don't need to ask your permission and neither does Jason. I know you don't like it, but Jason is Danny's father. He has the right to get spend time with him," Sam said.

"He doesn't even know Danny," Drew argued.

"That's not his fault," Sam said.

Drew opened his mouth to argue that point, but decided at the last second that it probably wouldn't end well.

"What? You think it is?" Sam asked, slowly becoming angry at the insinuation that any of this was Jason's fault.

"I just think it wouldn't have happened if he wasn't who he is," Drew said.

"This is not Jason's fault! Jason was a victim, just like you were. He didn't ask to be a part of a sick experiment to further a psychopath's agenda," Sam said angrily.

"Don't put the two of us in the same category. We were kidnapped because he was a freaking hitman, and someone wanted to turn me into him!" Drew yelled.

Just then, Scout began crying.

Sam immediately went to her daughter and picked her up. "Shh. It's okay, sweetie. Mommy and Daddy are sorry for yelling." She then turned to Drew. She spoke quietly, but by no means happily. "I will not let you or anyone else blame Jason for anything that has happened. Even if you're right about why this happened, and we don't know that yet, Jason is not responsible for what someone else did."

Drew didn't respond. He just looked away.

"I'm sorry for how much your hurting, but so is Jason, and I'm going to start acknowledging that. Now, Danny is Jason's child too. He's going to be spending time with him. You're going to have to accept that," Sam said.

Drew silently headed to the door and walked out.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Danny happily held his father's hand as they walked through the park. They were gonna go sledding and then they were going to Kelly's for hot chocolate. "Daddy Jason, can I ride down the big hill by myself?"

"How about we ride down the big one together?" Jason asked. That hill was pretty big and he didn't feel too comfortable with letting his five-year-old ride down it by himself.

Danny sighed. He was hoping since his Daddy Jason didn't know the rules about him not riding down the big hill by himself, he'd get away with it. "Okay."

Jason laughed at the boy's pout. "Come on, it'll still be a lot of fun."

Danny looked ahead, and his face suddenly lit up. "Look, it's Jake!"

Before Jason could respond, the boy let go of his hand and ran to his older brother, who was several feet away with Franco. Jason wasted no times in running towards both his children.

"Jake!" Danny said as he finally reached his brother.

"Hi, Danny," Jake greeted happily. He loved seeing his little brother. He hadn't seen him in a while.

Jason finally made it and pulled Danny against his body. The child was much too close to Franco for his liking. He wanted to do the same with Jake, but he knew he would just scare and alienate the boy further. Instead, he looked around to see if Elizabeth was around, but he didn't see her anywhere. Surely she hadn't left his son alone with Franco, right?

"Daddy Jason, it's Jake," Danny said.

"I know. Hi, Jake," Jason said.

"H…hi," Jake said uncomfortably.

"You're Jake's Daddy too, right?" Danny asked.

"Yeah. So is Drew. Jake has two dads, just like you," Jason said. He wanted Jake to understand that he wasn't gonna try to take Drew's place in his life. It hurt him to know that his kids thought of someone else as their father, but he respected the relationship they had with Drew.

Jake relaxed just slightly after hearing his biological father's words.

"We're going sledding! Do you wanna come with us, Jake? Can he, Daddy Jason?" Danny asked.

"Of course, he can. You're welcome to come, Jake," Jason said.

"Sorry, we have other plans," Franco said as he put a hand on the older boy's shoulder.

Jason really wanted to beat the hell out of Franco. He wanted that just for the bastard existing, let alone being around his child and thinking he had the right to decide where he went.

"Please," Danny said with a quiver of his lip.

Jake was torn. He was not at all comfortable with being around Jason. He didn't know him and felt like he was going to replace his dad, even if he said he wasn't. But he also wanted to hang out with little brother, and he wasn't sure when he would again. He only saw him when he was with his dad, and Jake feared that wouldn't happen as often anymore.

"Well, we're going to the art museum. Maybe Danny can come to the house during the week or something," Franco said, knowing full wall Jason would immediately shoot him down, which might just alienate Jake from Jason even further.

"No, I don't think so. I'm sorry, Jake, but Danny can't come to your house," Jason said. It was bad enough that Franco was around Jake. There was no way he was going to let him near Danny.

"I'm already not allowed," Danny said. He hadn't been allowed to visit Jake at his house since Jake's mommy's friend moved in with them.

Jake turned to Franco. "Can't we go to the art museum next weekend? I wanna spend time with my brother."

"I don't know. You mom may not want you to go," Franco said. He wasn't ready to give up. He didn't want Jake spending time with Jason.

Jason barely contained his rage. Franco had a lot of nerve thinking he had the right to make decisions for his son. Franco might be with Elizabeth, but he had no right thinking he had any say in Jake's life.

"Yes, she will. Mom wants me to get to know Jason," Jake said.

Franco knew he was out of excuses, and he also knew he couldn't actually tell Jake he couldn't go with Jason. "Okay, we'll see you at dinner then."

"I don't have a sled," Jake said as he approached Jason and Danny.

"It's okay. You can use mine. We can ride together or take turns riding with Daddy Jason," Danny said.

Jake nodded and the three of them started walking away.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Jason walked into Kelly's with the boys a couple of hours later. He couldn't keep the grin from his face. It had been a great day, even better since he got to spend it with both his sons. "Did you guys have a good time?"

"Yes! I got to go down the big hill with Jake. I usually can only do it with Daddy. Can we go again soon, Daddy Jason?" Danny asked.

"Sure. Did you have fun too, Jake?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, it was cool, probably even better than the art museum," Jake said with a smile.

"Daddy Jason, I'm hungry. Can we get something to eat with the hot chocolate?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Let's sit down," Jason said before heading to the first table he saw. They all sat down.

"Can Jake come with us next weekend too?" Danny asked before turning to his brother. "I get to have a sleepover with Daddy Jason next weekend!"

"I'll probably be going with Franco next weekend to the art museum," Jake said.

"Oh," Danny said sadly.

"It's okay, buddy. I'm sure you'll be able to see Jake soon," Jason said.

"Yeah, the next time Dad picks me up," Jake said. He hoped that would happen anyway. His dad promised he'd still come see him and take him out, but Jake was scared that it would stop since Drew wasn't his real dad.

"But you'll go to his house then, not ours," Danny said sadly.

"What do you mean?" Jake asked.

Jason cringed. Apparently, Drew hadn't told Jake yet that he and Sam weren't living together. "Uh, well, Sam and Drew have decided to live apart for a while."

Jake's eyes widened in horror. "What? Are they breaking up because you and Sam are getting back together?"

"No. Sam is having a hard time dealing with everything that's happened. Everyone is having a hard time. They've both decided that they need to be by themselves for a while," Jason explained.

Jason's explanation didn't make Jake feel any better. He looked close to tears.

Jason looked around and saw Molly and Kristina towards the front of the restaurant, which was the perfect opportunity for him to speak with Jake alone. He worried Danny would become upset as well if they spoke in front of him. "Hey, Danny, I see your aunts over there. Do you wanna go say hi?"

"Okay," Danny said before getting up and running towards his aunts.

"What's wrong, Jake? Sam and your dad breaking up doesn't have to mean anything else changes," Jason said.

"Yes, it will. It at least means I don't get to see Danny and Scout often. I'm only allowed to see them when I go to Sam's. They're not allowed to come to my house. Sam and my dad don't like Franco. They won't let Danny and Scout be around him. You won't either. You said so earlier," Jake said with tears in his eyes.

"You're right. I know Franco's your friend, but I don't trust him. I don't want him to be around Danny. I don't even like that he's around you," Jason said. He would not lie to his son. He wanted Jake to like him, but he was not about to try to achieve that by lying to him.

"I know Franco did bad things. He told me he told Sam and my dad a big lie. Well, I guess maybe that was you and Sam?" Jake asked.

Jason nodded that he was right. Although calling it simply a lie was putting it mildly. What Franco did to his family was not merely a lie. Franco calling it that was an insult, not that Jason expected any better.

"But Franco said he was sick. That means it's not his fault, doesn't it?" Jake asked.

Jason sighed. "Franco said he had a tumor that made him act different. I don't know that I believe him. People say that sometimes to get out of trouble. But even if I did believe it, it wouldn't matter. When someone hurts you, you can't just forget that they did it, no matter what the reason behind it is. Think about it, Jake. If someone hurt you really badly, could you just forgive them if they told you they weren't responsible?"

Jake's first instinct was to say yes. He should be able to forgive someone if it wasn't there fault. But then he thought about Helena. She's hurt him so bad. She'd hurt a lot of people. She'd tried to make him hurt people. He couldn't forgive her, even if it turned out she was sick. He wasn't sure he'd believe her either. "I don't think so. But I've lied before. I got in trouble, but I was forgiven. Why is Franco's lie so bad that he can't be forgiven?"

Jason didn't know what to say. He didn't want to lie, but he wasn't sure he should tell Jake what actually happened either. Jake was still young, plus, it might cause problems for Elizabeth with Jake. He didn't want to alienate Jake from his mother.

"He didn't just lie, did he?" Jake asked.

Just then, Danny came running back with two cookies in his hands. "Jake, Aunt Molly bought us cookies for after we eat."

"Cool," Jake said as he took the cookie his brother held out for him.

"Okay, let's figure out what we want to eat," Jason said as he picked up a menu. He shared it with Danny to help him decide what he wanted.

"Jason?" Jake asked.

"Yeah?"

"Would it be okay if maybe I did join you and Danny next weekend?" Jake asked. He was still wary about being around Jason, but he found that he was nice, and he should give him a chance. Also, it was his best chance to spend time with Danny was through Jason now. Plus, he wanted to ask more about Franco. He wanted to know exactly why everyone hated him so much.

"I'd love that," Jason said.

"Yay!" Danny squealed happily.

"Great," Jake said before picking up his menu.


	5. Chapter 5

Jason knocked on the penthouse door. He was picking Danny up for their sleepover. Then they would go to get Jake.

Sam opened the door a second later. "Hey. I was about to call you. I wanted to reach you before you came over."

"Why? Is something wrong?" Jason asked.

Just then, Danny ran over and hugged Jason. "Daddy Jason!"

Jason knew something was wrong. The boy was in his pajamas and his skin felt warm. "Hey, buddy."

"Daddy Jason, tell Mommy I can go with you. Please," Danny said near tears.

"Sweetie, you won't have a good time like this," Sam said.

"He's sick?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, he has a little fever. He's okay, but he needs to rest," Sam said.

"But I want to have a sleepover with Daddy Jason and Jake," Danny whined.

Jason was more than a little disappointed. He'd been looking forward to the night with Jake and Danny. But Sam was right. If Danny was sick, he should be at home and resting. "Buddy, Mommy's right. You need to rest."

"But it's not fair," Danny said with a pout.

Jason pulled the boy out of his arms and knelt down in front of him. "I know, but we can do it another weekend."

"Yeah, you can go next weekend. You can stay the whole weekend," Sam said.

"Will Jake be there?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, as long as he still wants to come," Jason said.

"Okay," Danny finally relented, though it was clear he still wasn't thrilled.

"Why don't you get back into bed, sweetie. You need to rest," Sam said.

Danny looked at Jason. "Will you read me a story before you leave?"

"Sure, buddy. I'll be right up," Jason said.

Danny nodded and ran upstairs.

"Sorry. I know you were looking forward to this," Sam said to Jason. She hated that she had to put a halt on their plans.

"It's not your fault he's sick. You're right, he should rest at home. I should probably call Elizabeth and tell her the sleepover's off," Jason said sadly. He walked all the way inside and shut the door.

"Why? Just because Danny can't come doesn't mean you can't spend the night with Jake," Sam said. This might even be better for Jason. He could get in some one on one time with Jake.

"Jake won't want to come now that Danny's not," he said.

"You don't know that," Sam said.

"Yeah, I do. He only wanted to come to spend time with Danny. Danny told him about you and Drew breaking up and Jake's worried that it means he won't be able to see Danny and Scout as much," Jason explained.

Sam sighed sadly. "I hate that they don't get to see each other as much. We used to schedule days where Drew and I would take Danny over to Elizabeth's to spend time with Jake, but…"

"But you couldn't when Franco moved in. Danny and Jake both mentioned it. You shouldn't feel bad. I wouldn't let Danny go either. I don't even like that Jake is around Franco," Jason said.

"I just wish the boys didn't have to suffer because Elizabeth has let that man in her life," Sam said.

"Can I ask for your advice on something?" Jason asked

"Of course," Sam said before gesturing to the couch, indicating that they sit.

Jason went over and sat down. He waited for Sam to sit next to him before speaking. "The subject of Franco came up when Jake and I were talking last week.

Sam cringed. She couldn't imagine that that situation went well. He could tell you don't like him, couldn't he? Did he get upset?"

"Not exactly. He wasn't mad or anything. He wanted to know why I hated Franco and why I couldn't forgive him even though he was 'sick," Jason said.

"Yeah, he wanted to know why I did to. Franco spun a story about how he 'lied' to us. It was such an understatement that I'd almost consider it a lie," Sam said in disgust. She still remembered that whole speech. She was sure Franco thought of it as a powerful and touching speech, but she'd just wanted to throw up after hearing his spin.

"I agree. I told Jake that the supposed tumor didn't make up for anything. That we still had to live with it happening. He seemed to understand, but he didn't understand why we hate him so much if it was just a lie. Then he figured out that it wasn't just a lie," Jason explained.

Sam nodded. She wasn't all that surprised. Jake was getting older. He was going to learn the truth eventually. "Jake's not a naïve little boy anymore. He's almost eleven. I knew the hero worship would wear off and he'd see the truth. It looks like that's happening."

"Danny interrupted before I had to answer Jake's questions about Franco, but he's going to ask again. I don't know what to say. I don't want to lie to him, but I'm not sure I should tell him either. He's just a kid, plus, I don't want to alienate him from his mother," Jason said.

"He's going to find out, and probably soon. Elizabeth believes she can keep up the charade of Franco being the perfect role model for her kids, but she can't. Jake will find out what Franco is," Sam said.

"I know, but is it right for me to tell him?" Jason asked.

"If he asks, you'll have to tell him something, and I think it's important that you're honest with him. You probably shouldn't go into specifics, but he won't respect you if you don't tell him the truth," Sam said.

Jason nodded.

"Daddy Jason, are you coming?!" Danny called down the stairs.

"I'll be right there, buddy!" Jason called back.

"Jason, I think you should go to Elizabeth's. Give Jake a chance to decide if he wants to go with you," Sam said.

"Thanks," Jason said before getting up and heading for the stairs.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Jason made it to Elizabeth's less than an hour later and he rang the doorbell.

Elizabeth opened the door a second later. "Hey, come on it."

"Thanks," Jason said before walking inside.

"Where's Danny? Elizabeth wondered.

"He's sick, so he's gonna stay home with Sam.

"Oh. Maybe we can reschedule then," Elizabeth said.

"We could, but I figured I'd see if Jake still wants to come," Jason said. He doubted his oldest would want to come with him alone, but he would try.

"Jason, I don't think Jake's ready for that," Elizabeth said.

"Maybe not, but it can't hurt to ask," Jason said.

"Well, I don't want him to feel pressured."

"There isn't any pressure. I'll make it clear that it's up to him," Jason said.

"Well, either way, I'm glad you came over. I wanted to ask you about your last visit with Jake. It's just that he's seemed a little off since then. He doesn't seem to want to be alone with Franco," Elizabeth said.

"Should that concern me? I'm glad he doesn't want to be alone with him," Jason said frankly.

Elizabeth sighed. "Why can't you just accept Franco?"

"You know why," Jason replied.

Neither parent noticed as they son began listening on the stairs. He'd heard Jason's voice and started down with his bag to spend the night with the man.

"Franco has changed. He had a tumor," Elizabeth insisted.

"I don't care if he did. No tumor changes what he did to Sam, Michael, or any of the other people he terrorized.

Jake frowned from the stairs. What had Franco done to Sam and his cousin, Michael. He knew it wasn't just a lie like Franco said. Jason was too angry for that.

"What did you say to Jake?" Elizabeth demanded to know.

"Nothing. Jake knows that I don't like Franco. He could sense it," Jason said.

"And that's why you have to let this go. Can't you just do it for Jake's sake?" Elizabeth asked.

"Don't use Jake like that. Jake does not need me to like Franco, you do. I can't see why though. What does it matter to you if I like the bastard?" Jason asked. \

"I am not using Jake! It hurts him for you and Franco to fight," Elizabeth said.

"I don't fight with Franco in front of Jake."

"But he knows you hate him. It's clearly affecting him," Elizabeth said.

"If Jake is upset it's because he's starting to figure out that Franco did something terrible and no one will tell him what it is," Jason said.

"He doesn't need to hear that. He'd be find if you'd just…"

"If I just what? Lied to him? I'm not gonna do that. I don't like lying to anyone. I certainly won't lie to my own son," Jason said.

"Franco has changed," Elizabeth insisted.

"I don't believe that, but even if he did, I don't care. You can help him hide behind a tumor if that's what you want, but a tumor will never change the things he did. Michael and Sam have to live with what he did to them for the rest of their lives. I will never forgive him for what he did to them," Jason said firmly.

"Not even for your son?" she asked in an attempt to guilt him.

If anything, Jason became more angry. "I told you to stop using him like that. Jake is not mad that I don't like Franco. Hell, he's been fine for years knowing that Drew hates him too. Now, I'm not talking about this anymore. I'm not gonna stop hating Franco, and I certainly won't push Jake closer to him!"

"Fine. Promise that you won't say anything to Jake about Franco's past," Elizabeth said.

"I won't do that either. If Jake asks about Franco, I won't lie to him. I won't share graphic details with him, but I won't lie," Jason said.

"Well, then maybe you shouldn't see Jake anymore," Elizabeth said.

Jake gaped in shock. His mother was so determined to keep him from learning the truth that she would keep him from knowing his real father? Jake couldn't say he loved Jason the way he was supposed to, and he was still really afraid of losing Drew because of Jason, but at the same time, he was curious about him. Plus, he'd enjoyed the time he spent with Jason and Danny. He wanted to get to know him. His mom wouldn't really take that away from him, would she?

Jason glared at her coldly. "You're really doing this? You're gonna threaten me over Franco?"

"Jake loves Franco," Elizabeth told him.

"Jake loves Franco because the truth has been hidden from him for years. How will he feel about him when he finds out he hurt his little brother? No, both of his little brothers. He will find out, Elizabeth. You can't hide it from him forever," Jason said.

Jake was sent reeling from his biological father's words. Franco had hurt his brothers? He'd hurt Aiden and Danny? Why would he do that? They were just little kids. What had he done to them?

"For that matter, how will Aiden feel? How will you explain to him that you let the man who hurt him into his home?" Jason asked.

"What my kids learn and how I deal with it is my business," Elizabeth said coldly.

"You're right. What you tell Aiden is your concern, not mine. But Jake is, and I'm gonna help you make the situation worse for him. Lying would do that. I promise you, he won't thank you if you lie to him," Jason said.

Jake decided he'd heard enough. His parents weren't going to say much else that would tell him everything. He'd ask Jason later. Jason said he'd tell the truth. All he had to do is what until tonight when Danny was asleep.

Jake walked down stairs and made his presence known. "Hi, Jason. I'm ready to go."

"Uh, honey, there's been a change in plans. Danny's sick so the sleepover's canceled," Elizabeth said.

Jake hated it, but he had to wonder if his mother was telling the truth. She basically admitted that she'd lie to him, and she had said she wanted to keep him and Jason apart. So, Jake focused on Jason when he spoke again. "Danny's really sick?"

"Yeah. Sam wants him to stay home tonight, and I think she's right. He'll want her while he's not feeling well, even if he doesn't realize it yet. So instead, he's gonna come over next weekend," Jason explained.

"So maybe you can go over next weekend," Elizabeth said, though in her head she was thinking of ways she could cancel between now and then.

Jake decided right away he wasn't having that. He wanted the truth. He didn't want to wait a week, and while he was disappointed that he couldn't hang out with his brother, he thought maybe it was for the best that Danny wasn't there. This way there would be no interruptions when he talked to Jason. "Can't I come to your house even without Danny?"

Jason was shocked by the request. Despite what Sam said, and even what he'd said to Elizabeth earlier, he didn't expect Jake to want to come with him by himself. "Of course. You're always welcome at my place."

"But, honey, wouldn't you rather go when you can spend time with Danny?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well, why can't I go next weekend too?" Jake asked.

"You have plans with Franco, remember? You've already put them off twice. You can't keep doing that. You can go with Franco to the art museum this weekend and with Jason next weekend," Elizabeth said.

"I don't want to go to the art museum anymore. I want to go to Jason's," Jake said with slight defiance in his voice.

"Jake, you can't cancel plans like that. You either go this weekend or next weekend," Elizabeth said firmly.

"Fine. I'll go with Franco next weekend," Jake said.

"Are you sure that's what you want to do. It's okay with me, but are you sure wouldn't rather come with me when I have Danny?" Jason asked.

"Yeah. I think we should get to know each other without anyone else there. I can come another weekend that Danny's there," Jake said.

"Of course," Jason said.

Elizabeth was really not happy with how things were turning out. "Jake, I don't think…"

"You said I had to choose. I chose. I want to go this weekend," Jake said.

Elizabeth knew she couldn't say much else. She had no choice but to let him go. "Okay. Well, call me before you go to bed and I'll see you tomorrow. When you get back, you and Franco can talk about your plans for next weekend.

Jake hugged his mother and grabbed his coat before he and Jason headed out of the house.


	6. Chapter 6

Jake followed Jason into his apartment. It was nice enough. It was a little small, but he supposed Jason didn't need a big place when it was just him, with the occasional visit from him and Danny.

Jake walked over to the living room and looked around. There was a large couch in the middle of the room, a coffee table in front of it, and a large TV a few feet away. He walked over to the TV and saw a game console set up to it. "You have the latest video game console! Cam and I have been trying to save up our allowances for this!"

"Well, I thought you and your brother would like to play when you're here. I'm sorry he wasn't able to come tonight," Jason said.

"Maybe you and I can play later," Jake said.

"Yeah, I'd like that," Jason said. "Do you wanna see your room?"

Jake nodded and followed Jason down the hall and into a room on the right. The bedroom had bunk beds, two dressers, and two nightstands, plus a bunch of books and games on the shelves by the door. There was also a desk right across from the beds.

"I hope you're okay with sharing with Danny," Jason said.

"Yeah, I love to share with Danny. We share at Sam and Dad's. Well, we used to. I probably won't be able sleep over there anymore," Jake said sadly.

"Sam would never have a problem with you being there," Jason said.

"Mom might," Jake said quietly. He knew his mother didn't like Sam. She'd made a big deal a while back about getting him to like her, but he knew that was just because of his dad. Jake knew Sam and his mom didn't like each other.

Jake went over to the desk and saw that it was filled with paper, pencils, colored pencils, and other art materials.

"I heard you liked art, so I thought you might like it," Jason said.

Jake grinned at Jason happily. "I love it. Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome. Well, how about I give you some time to get settled in? I'll be in the living room if you need me," Jason told him.

Jake nodded and watched him leave. He immediately started putting his things away.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

A few hours later, Jake was sitting at the kitchen table with Jason having dinner. They'd picked up food from Kelly's. Jake had had a pretty good day so far. He'd used his new art materials for a little while and then he and Jason spent a couple of hours playing video games. He found that after giving the man a real chance, he actually liked spending time with Jason. He was glad he came. He may have only done so at first to get information about Franco, but he'd had fun.

"So, do you wanna make that phone call to your mom after dinner. You can find out what time she wants you home by tomorrow," Jason said.

Jake nodded. "Okay."

"I was thinking before I drop you off tomorrow, we could stop by and see Danny as long as he's feeling okay," Jason said.

"Yes! That would be great! I wanna see him. I wish I could come over again next weekend while he's here," Jake said a bit sad. He was kind of mad that his mom was forcing him to stay home and go to the art museum. He wanted to hang out with Jason and Danny. Plus, he was no longer so keen about spending time with Franco alone.

"I know, but we can do it another weekend. And you can spend time with your other brothers next weekend. Maybe one of them will go with you to the art museum," Jason said. Honestly none of those kids should be around Franco, but if one of them went, like Cam, Jake might be more comfortable.

"They don't really like art. Cam would rather be with his friends and Aiden's too young to be into it. I don't really want to go anymore either," Jake said. Well, he had no problems going to the art museum. He just didn't want to go with Franco anymore, not until he knew the truth. "Jason, what did Franco do to Aiden and Danny?"

Jason was caught completely off-guard by the question. He expected Jake to ask about Franco, but not specifically about Aiden and Danny. Jason wasn't sure where Jake even learned about Franco hurting his brothers. Well, Jason wasn't sure until he remembered his conversation with Elizabeth on the matter. "You heard your mom and me fighting."

Jake nodded.

"I'm sorry. We shouldn't have let you hear that," Jason said.

"You said you'd tell me the truth. I need to know the truth. Franco's a bad person, isn't he?" Jake asked.

Jason nodded after a minute, unwilling to lie or deflect. "He is to me, yes, and to a lot of other people."

"Aiden and Danny?" Jake asked.

"Franco didn't directly hurt Danny, but he hurt Sam and me, and that led to events that had a big impact on the first several months of Danny's life," Jason said.

"And Aiden?" Jake asked.

"Jake, are you sure you want to know all this?" Jason asked. He knew Jake was going to learn the truth soon, and it was better coming from him, but he didn't want damage the boy by giving him answers he wasn't ready to hear.

"I'm scared. I've always loved Franco. I thought the worst thing he did was tell a lie, but after talking to you before, I realized that there was more to it. It made me feel kind of nervous to be around him. Then I heard you say that he hurt my brothers. Now I'm scared and kind of angry. I have to know. If you don't want to tell me, I can look up the information on the internet.

"No, don't do that. I'll tell you," Jason said. The last thing he wanted was for his son to learn about Franco's past by looking it up. That was everything he didn't want to happen. "It won't make you less scared though."

"Please tell me."

"After Aiden was born, he was kidnapped from the hospital. Franco did it," Jason told him.

"F…Franco kidnapped my brother?" Jake asked in horror. All he could think about was being kidnapped by Helena and held for years of his life. Then coming home and being messed up, to the point where he'd almost hurt people.

Jason nodded.

"Why?" Jake asked.

"He gave him to his mother. He wanted her to have a child," Jason said.

"But Aiden wasn't his to take and give away. Did he bring him back?" Jake asked. Both his hands and his voice were shaky.

"No. Lucky found Aiden and brought him home," Jason answered.

"So, Franco was never gonna bring him back. If Aiden hadn't been found then, he would've been messed up when he came home. He wouldn't have understood," Jake said close to tears.

Jason could tell that his son was speaking from experience. That was how he felt when he was finally brought home. "Aiden was found, Jake. He's okay."

"But not because Franco wanted him to be. What else did he do. You said he did something bad to Sam and Michael. What was it?" Jake asked.

Jason was really reluctant to answer that question. It wasn't something that a ten-year-old should have to hear about. But Jake had already said he'd look it up if Jason didn't tell him. That would be a worse way to learn about the subject. "Have you ever heard the term 'rape'.

"A couple of times. I'm not sure what it means though, other than that it involves sex and that it's a crime," Jake said.

"Well, it can't be considered the same as sex, not in any way. It's too horrible. Rape is when someone forces someone else to have sex. It's one of the worst things you can do to a person," Jason told him.

"And Franco did that?" Jake asked.

"We thought he had. He made Sam and I think he'd done it to her. That's how he hurt Danny too. We weren't sure who Danny's father was for a while. But later, Sam found out it was a trick. He wanted us to think he'd done that," Jason explained.

"Why?" Jake asked. He couldn't understand why Franco would want someone to think he'd done something that horrible.

"Because he wanted to hurt us, which he did. He hurt Sam a lot. Rape is something that someone carries with them their whole life. It's not just the act alone," he said.

"So that's why she hates him so much, and why she doesn't like it when he gets too close to her," Jake said. He remembered many times that Sam would move away if Franco got too close. Jake felt terrible because he's the reason she was around him. She did it because it made him happy to have Franco around. "What about Michael?"

"It's really similar. Franco put a man in Michael's path. He says the man wasn't supposed to hurt Michael, but he did. He raped him. Michael still carries that with him," Jake said.

Jake felt sick to his stomach. Franco had done terrible things to everyone Jake loved, and Jake had made him his closest friend. He felt like a traitor for liking Franco. How could he like someone who was so bad? His own family should hate him.

"Jake?" Jason questioned.

"I wanna be alone," Jake said before running from the table.

Jason could hear Jake crying as he ran from the room. He wanted to go after him and help him, but he wasn't sure Jake would let him comfort him. Jake didn't know him well enough for that. But Jason also didn't want to leave his son alone to face this trauma.

An idea popped into Jason's head and he grabbed his cell phone. He hit the first number on his speed dial and waited for an answer.

" _Hey, Jason._ "

"Sam, do you think you can give me Drew's number?" Jason asked. Jake needed someone he loved to comfort him. Elizabeth was out of the question for obvious reasons, which left Drew.

" _Why? What's going on?"_ Sam asked in an alarmed voice.

"I told Jake the truth about Franco. I told him almost everything."

" _Oh, God,"_ Sam said.

"I had to. He was going to look it up on line if I didn't," Jason said.

" _That would've been even worse. You did the right thing. How is Jake?"_ Sam asked.

"He's devastated. He ran from the room crying. He barely knows me, so I don't think he'll want me comforting him. I'm hoping Drew can help him," Jason said.

" _Okay, I'm gonna call Drew and tell him to get over there as soon as he can. Then I'll get my mom to come over and sit with Danny,"_ Sam said.

"You don't have to come," Jason said. He certainly wanted her to come, but he didn't want her to feel like she had to. She'd probably feel awkward being around both him and Drew, plus the subject of Franco would likely make things worse.

" _I'm coming, Jason,"_ Sam said firmly before hanging up the phone.


	7. Chapter 7

Jason opened the door to his apartment to find Drew there. "Hi. Thanks for coming. Come in," he said before stepping aside.

"Sam said something's wrong with Jake," Drew said shortly before walking inside. "I was surprised to hear Jake was spending the night. The last I knew, he was still anxious about even seeing you."

Jason closed the door. "I asked Sam to call you because Jake is really upset, and I know he'd rather be comforted by you than me."

"Why didn't you call Elizabeth?" Drew wondered. He didn't mind being called at all. He would do anything for Jake. He just figured calling Jake's mother made more sense if he was that upset.

"It wasn't an option," Jason said.

"Why? Is he upset with Elizabeth?" Drew asked.

Before Jason could answer, there was another knock at the door. He opened it and was unsurprised to find Sam. "Hey."

"Hi. How is he?" Sam asked before walking inside. She immediately greeted Drew. "Hey."

"Hey," Drew said.

"How's Jake?" Sam asked.

"He was crying a few minutes ago. He probably still is. Listen, I'm glad you're here, but you don't have to be here. This will probably be hard for you," Jason said.

"Yeah, it probably will, but I need to be here. This was our story. It was the hardest time in our lives. I need to be here. Honestly, I wish I'd offered to come and help you explain things to Jake," Sam said. Like she'd just said, this was their story. She should've been there to help Jake understand it.

Drew felt a gang of Jealousy as he watched Sam interact with his brother. She spoke to him as if Drew wasn't even there, about things he didn't know about. It hurt. "What the hell is going on? What's wrong with Jake?"

"I told Jake the truth about Franco," Jason said.

"You what? Why would you do that? Doesn't that kid have enough going on without that added to it," Drew asked heatedly. He knew that Jake would learn the truth about Franco one day. He'd tried to tell Elizabeth that, to no avail, but now didn't seem like the time. He was already going through so much.

"Drew, stop. I encouraged Jason to tell him. Jake was asking questions about Franco. He was no longer buying the story that was told to him years ago. He was going to keep asking, and I told Jason he shouldn't lie.

"It was worse than even that. He started to distance himself from Franco. He didn't want to be alone with him. To make matters worse, he overheard me and Elizabeth fight about it. He heard me say that Franco had hurt Aiden and Danny. When he finally asked me about it, eh told me he was scared. Then he threatened to look Franco up on the internet. It was either tell him or let him find out on his own," Jason explained.

Drew sighed. He had to admit that with those two choices, he would've done the same. There was no way he would've let Jake find out the truth online. Jason had no choice. "Does Elizabeth know you told him?"

"No, but I told her I wouldn't lie to him. She tried to keep Jake from going from me when I said that, but he wouldn't hear it," Jason said. Now that he thought about it, Jake knew exactly what Elizabeth had been doing. He'd heard everything. He knew she was trying to prevent him from learning the truth.

"It doesn't surprise me. She doesn't want to see the damage this could do to her kids. I tried to tell her, but she wouldn't listen. I knew it would come down to this," Drew said sadly.

Sam nodded. "We've talked about it. We knew she wouldn't be able to hide the truth from him forever."

"I thought it would be a few more years though, and I didn't think he'd be reeling from the news that I wasn't his father when it happened," Drew said before turning to Jason. "What has he said."

"He's devastated. When I told him about Aiden, all he could think about was his own kidnapping and what it did to him. He could only picture something similar happening to his little brother," Jason said.

Drew nodded. He could see why Jake would make that connection. Franco had tried to take Aiden from his family forever, just like Helena had done with him.

"Okay, someone has to talk sense into Elizabeth. Someone has to make her see that she cannot allow her son around a man he's now afraid of," Sam said.

"Sam, I tried. She won't listen. She knows Jake doesn't feel comfortable around Franco. She asked me to help her make him more comfortable by lying to him. That's what led to the fight that Jake overheard. She will not see that our son doesn't belong around him," Jason said.

"I should've put a stop to this before it even started. I should've insisted she keep Franco away from Jake or taken her to court," Drew said.

"You thought Elizabeth would come to her senses eventually, plus, Jake was already going through so much at the time," Sam said.

"Well, now he's going through worse. He doesn't feel safe in his own home," Drew said.

Just then, Jake came out of his room. He'd heard other voices and wanted to know who was there. When he saw that it was his dad and Sam, he ran over. He bypassed by Jason and Drew and ran into Sam's arms.

Sam was taken for surprise at first when she felt Jake's arms around her, but she quickly recovered and held him tightly.

"I'm sorry. Don't hate me," Jake begged through his tears.

Sam gasped in disbelief and looked at Jason for some kind of explanation for the child's words. When he shook his head, indicating that give him none, she turned back to the boy buried in her arms and just held him for a few minutes.

Jakes sobs quieted down after a few minutes and he pulled away.

"Jake, I don't hate you. Why would you think that?" Sam asked gently.

Jake rubbed his eyes. "Because I was Franco's friend. I liked somebody who hurt you."

"No. That is not your fault. Nobody holds it against you that you loved him. You're just a kid. You couldn't be expected to understand the type of adult things this man did," Sam told him.

"No one blames you, Jake," Drew said.

Jake ran over and hugged his dad. He'd been determined to tell Sam how sorry he was that he forgot for a second that his dad was there.

"It's okay, buddy," Drew said as he hugged the boy.

"This is why you didn't want Franco to be around me. I'm sorry. I was mad at you for trying to take me away from him," Jake said.

Drew pulled away and looked the child straight in the eye. "Nothing that happened with Franco is your fault. Yes, that's why I didn't want you around him, but it's not your fault that you didn't understand that. You were too young at the time to understand what was going on."

"I understand now. Franco's a bad person. I can't be his friend anymore," Jake said firmly. Even if Jake thought he could be comfortable around Franco now, and he couldn't, he couldn't be friends with someone that hurt so many people that he loved. That wouldn't be right.

"If you can't, you have every right to make that choice," Drew said.

"Mom won't think so. She's gonna want me to forgive him. She even wants Jason to forgive him. She says it's not Franco's fault because he was sick," Jake said. He'd heard his mom say that before. She'd just said it to Jason tonight. She wasn't going to understand that Jake didn't like Franco anymore.

"Your mom thinks a tumor is the cause," Sam said. She barely suppressed an eye roll. She was never going to believe the tumor defense.

"Jason doesn't think that matters. He still did those terrible things. He hurt you and my brothers and Michael. And what if he's lying? What if he's just like that?" Jake asked.

"Are you afraid of him, Jake?" Drew asked.

Jake nodded. "I don't wanna go back there. I'm supposed to go home tomorrow, but I don't want to. Can I stay with you?"

Jason couldn't deny being a little hurt when Jake expressed the wish of living with Drew, but he didn't hold it against the boy. Of course, Jake would prefer to stay with Drew than him. Drew had been a father to him for years.

Drew smiled sadly. "I wish you could. Jake, I've told you over and over again that I love you and I'll always think of you as my son, but from a legal standard, you're not. We'd have to go to court, and in court, they see things as really cut and dry. They're only going to see that Jason is your father, not me. They won't let you live with me."

Jake was crushed to hear that, but he wasn't ready to give up. He did not want to go back to any house that Franco lived in. So, he walked over to Jason. "I can live here with you then, can't I?"

"Are you sure that's what you want, Jake. I'd be happy for you to live with me, but you have to be sure," Jason said.

"I'm sure," Jake said. He didn't know Jason well, but he was good to him. They had fun and Jason told him the truth. Plus, Jake knew no matter what that he was safe with him. He couldn't say he felt the same with Franco anymore.

"Jake, you have to understand what you'll be doing," Sam said. She honestly believed that Jake was better off with Jason. Elizabeth didn't put her kids first. The fact that she moved her son's kidnapper in with him was proof of that. But she wanted Jake to understand what he was getting himself into. "You're going to have to tell your mom you don't want to live with her, and even then, it won't be that simple. Jason will have to file a petition for custody. You will have to go to court. You'd have to tell the judge that you want to live with Jason and why."

"That's gonna be hard for you," Drew said.

"I can't go back! I'll say whatever I have to say. I don't want to go back," Jake cried.

"Okay. If that's what you want, I'll do it," Jason told me. He never thought he'd do this. He never thought he'd take Jake away from Elizabeth, but he also never thought she'd move their son in with Franco, or that Jake would be afraid for his own safety while living with his mother. He couldn't let that continue.

"How about you let us talk for a little while, buddy," Drew said to Jake.

Jake nodded and headed back to his room.

"Drew, I know what you're going to say, but this is best for him," Sam said.

"Actually, I wasn't going to argue it," Drew said before turning to Jason. "Look, you know I don't like you. I think those boys deserve better than you for a father, but you are the best chance Jake has. He can't go back to home where he doesn't feel safe. I don't think Franco would do anything to him at this point, but he doesn't have that faith. He can't feel unsafe in his own home. Do what you have to do. I'll help in any way I can."

Jason nodded. "I'll call Diane in the morning."

"I think you should call now. Maybe she can get a judge to make it so Jake doesn't have to go back tomorrow. She can file for emergency removal or something," Sam said.

Jason nodded and took out his phone.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, Jason was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in his hand. He was anxiously awaiting a call from Diana, which was what he'd spend the majority of his day doing. Diane had been unable to do anything last night, but she told him she'd work on getting a judge to sign an order giving him temporary custody of Jake. She said most judges wouldn't just sign without a hearing first, but she also said that she could get it if she could convince a judge that Franco was a danger to Jake. From what she said, it was a long shot though.

Soon, Jason heard footsteps. He turned towards the hall in time to see Jake coming his way. "Hey, Jake. Did you sleep okay?"

Jake shrugged. He hadn't slept well at all. He was up most of the night thinking of all the bad things Franco had done to the people he loved, and how because o him, those people felt they had to be nice to Franco. Jake also thought about the prospect of having to see Franco again, of having to go home to him tonight. It scared him so much. He didn't want to go back there. "Do I have to go home tonight?"

"I don't know. My lawyer is trying to make it so you don't have to, but it might not be possible. If you do have to go back though, I promise I will do whatever I can to make sure it isn't for long," Jason said. He hated that it was coming to this, but he wasn't going to let Jake live in a house with someone he was afraid of. Plus, if Jason was honest, it would've come to this eventually. From the moment he came back, it unnerved him that his son was living with Franco. There was only so long he was going to be able to tolerate it.

Soon there was a knock at the door.

Jake looked at Jason in fear. "You don't think that's Mom, do you?"

"No, I know who it is," Jason said before standing up and going to the door. He opened it up and was unsurprised to find Drew there with Danny and Scout. Before he and Sam left yesterday, Drew had offered to take Jake for the day, both to keep the boy's mind off of things and to make sure he wasn't there if Elizabeth did show up. Jason thought it was a good idea.

"Daddy Jason!" Danny exclaimed before running into the man's arms.

Jason hugged his son tightly. "Hey, buddy. You feeling better?" Jason asked.

"Uh huh. Daddy Drew says we're gonna go see Grandma Monica!" Danny said excitedly before pulling away from his father.

"Dad," Jake said before rushing over and hugging the man.

"Hey, kiddo. I thought we could all go out for breakfast and then go see your grandmother. What do you say?" Drew asked.

Jake pulled out of the hug. "This is to make sure I'm not here if Mom comes, huh?"

Drew smiled at him. "You're a smart kid. Go get dressed and we'll go," he said before stepping inside, pulling scout's carriage with him.

"Okay. Danny, do you wanna come and see our room?" Jake asked.

"Yeah!" Danny said happily before following his older brother.

"Any word from Diane?" Drew asked.

Jason shook his head. "I don't expect to hear anything for hours."

"How about Elizabeth? Has she called?" Drew asked.

"Three times last night. I didn't pick up," Jason said.

"That's good. I'll keep Jake as late as I can or until you call me," Drew said.

Jason nodded.

"I can't believe its come to this. I thought Elizabeth would wake up and see who Franco really was before someone had to take her to court," Drew said.

"She's determined to see Franco as a good guy, and to make everyone around her see him that way too. I think she's lying to herself, and she can't do it entirely until everyone around her is convinced she's right," Jason said.

Drew nodded that he agreed. "That's gonna be a little hard now that her own son doesn't even believe it anymore."

Jake and Danny came out again a second later. Danny ran over to Jason. "Daddy Jason, I love our new room! I can't wait to sleep in my new bed!"

"It'll be all ready for you when you come next weekend," Jason said.

"Jake's coming too, right?" Danny asked before turning to his big brother.

"I hope so," Jake said. He hoped if things worked out well, he'd already be there when Danny came over.

"Okay, are you guys ready to go?" Drew asked.

"Are you coming too, Daddy Jason?" Danny asked.

"No, buddy. I have to do some stuff here. I promise I'll see you soon though," Jason said.

"Okay," Danny said before hugging the man goodbye.

Jake looked at Jason. "Will you call when your lawyer calls you?"

"Right away," Jason promised.

"Okay, guys, let's head out," Drew said before leading all the kids out of Jason's apartment.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Monica opened her front door to find Drew with three of her grandchildren. "Hey, guys."

"Grandma!" both Jake and Danny exclaimed before they both hugged her.

"Hi. I'm glad to see you guys," Monica said as she hugged both her grandsons. "Danny, I heard you weren't feeling well." Drew told her that last night when he asked to bring the kids for a visit. He'd said Danny might not be with them because he was sick the day before.

"Yeah. I couldn't go to Daddy Jason's with Jake," Danny said with a pout.

"Well, I'm sure you'll be able to go soon," Monica said.

"Next weekend, but that's so long away," Danny grumbled.

"It'll be here before you know it, buddy," Drew said as he ruffled the boy's hair.

"Grandma, can we play with the dog?" Danny asked.

"I'm surprised it took you so long to ask. Of course, you can. She's in the living room," Monica said.

Jake and Danny immediately ran towards the living room.

Monica turned to Scout, who was in her carriage. She immediately bent down and picked her up. "How is my granddaughter. You're getting so big."

"Everyday," Drew said with a smile.

Monica gave the baby her attention for few minutes before ushering Drew inside and shutting the door. "So, what's going on. You sounded off on the phone when you asked to come by. This doesn't seem like a social visit."

"I needed someplace to take Jake for the day," Drew told her.

"Why?" Monica asked concerned.

"To stop Elizabeth from taking him home. Jason has filed a petition to have Jake removed from her care, effective immediately," Drew said.

"Oh my God! Why?" Monica asked. She could certainly understand Jason filing for custody. She saw that coming. Jason was not going to put up with Franco in the same house as his son for long. The urgency did surprise her though. Something must have happened for Jason to not even want Jake left with Elizabeth for even another day.

"Jake asked him too," Drew said. He quickly filled her in on how Jake found out the truth about Franco and his reaction to it

"Oh my God! I worried this would happen. Jake's getting older. He was bound to find out," Monica said.

"Yeah. Sam and I talked about it few years ago as well, and I tried to tell Elizabeth, but she wouldn't listen. Jason tried yesterday too. She's in denial. Now Jake knows, and it's ripping him apart. He actually hugged Sam last night and begged her not to hate him. He's horrified that he liked someone that could hurt her," Drew said.

"Oh, no. That's terrible. He shouldn't ever have to think that," Monica said.

"I know. It's horrible, but I think it gets even worse than that. I don't think Jake trusts Elizabeth anymore. He heard her say she wanted him lied to. How is he supposed to trust someone who has admitted that she'd lie to him? So, he's living in a house with one adult he doesn't trust and another he's afraid of," Drew said.

"I can see why he doesn't want to be there anymore. Is there anything I can do to help?" Monica asked.

"You let us come over today. That's all you can do," Drew said.

"That's hardly anything. I love having you guys here," Monica said.

Drew smiled. "I know. Anyway, all any of us can do now is wait and see what happens."

Xxxxxxxxxx

Jason opened his door to find Sam on the other side. For the first time, he'd admit to being disappointed. He was really hoping it was Diane with a court order giving him custody of Jake. "Hey."

"Hi," Sam said before walking inside. "You were hoping I was someone else, weren't you?"

Jason shut the door behind her. "I'm glad to see you, but I was hoping you were Diane."

"No word?"

Jason shook his head sadly. It had been several hours since Drew took Jake to go to the Quartermaines. It had been all day in fact, and there was still no word from Diane. "Drew's gonna have to come back soon, and Elizabeth will show up sooner or later. I'm surprised she hasn't already."

"Even if you can't get an order today, Diane can get you a hearing for a few days from now," Sam said.

"I know, but Jake doesn't even want to go back for a day. How am I supposed to send my son back to a place he's afraid to be at?" Jason asked

Sam sighed and took her coat off. She put it on a hook by the door. "I know this is really hard for you and Jake, but it will be okay. I have to believe that a judge will see that Jake is better off with you than in a house with Franco."

"But a judge will also have to take my life into consideration, and the fact that I've never been a part of Jake's life," Jason said.

"That's not all on you, but even with all that, I believe it is obvious that Jake is better off with you. Plus, it's what he wants. A judge will consider that," Sam said.

"I hope so. I can't stand the idea of having to send him home to a man he's afraid of, and I'm probably going to have to tonight. I almost feel like maybe I shouldn't have told him," Jason said. He knew Jake needed to know, but it just made things worse for him. He was terrified of Franco now.

"No, you did the right thing. He was going to find out anyway, and it was better that it came from his father than some website. Elizabeth's fantasy was already at an end, Jason. Jake had figured out too much. I hate how much pain he's in, and I know it may be wrong to say this, but I'm glad he knows. I'm glad I don't have to pretend not to hate Franco's guts anymore," Sam said. That had been so hard for her. She hated that she was forced into that man's presence anytime there was a family function that they all had to be a part of. She only did it for Jake's sake. His knowing the truth now both saddened her and relieved her. She didn't have to put up with charade anymore.

"It's not wrong. You never should've been put in that position. It shouldn't have happened in the first place. Jake should never have even known that Franco existed," Jason said.

Sam walked over to the couch and sat down. "It was so hard, Jason. Every time I was around him, I had to be nice. Sometimes I would back out of functions of Jake's because I couldn't deal. I know that hurt Jake, but sometimes I just couldn't do it."

"He understands now," Jason said.

"I'm glad because there are times when I've been afraid he thought he didn't matter to me. I didn't want him to think that, but it was just so hard. Franco says he didn't rape me. That may be true, but I still feel like he was. He… He still had his arms around me when I was basically naked. H…He laid down on top of me," Sam said. Her voice started to break at the end.

Jason went over and sat next to her. "It's okay. You never have to pretend around him again You don't even have to be around him anymore."

Soon, there was a knock at the door. Jason immediately went to answer it. He opened the door to find Elizabeth and Franco at the door.

"I think you spoke to soon," Sam said.

"What the hell is he doing at my door?" Jason asked while glaring at Franco.

"We're here to get Jake. It's almost six. I've been calling you all day," Elizabeth said annoyed.

"I know," Jason said.

"So, you've been ignoring me?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes," he said honestly.

Elizabeth huffed and pushed her way through. "Jake, come out here! It's time to go home!"

Franco followed Elizabeth inside and glared at Jason. "You know, she's been worried. For all she knew, you'd gotten the kid shot."

"Too bad she's not more worried about the danger in her own home," Sam said.

Elizabeth turned and glared at Sam. "Franco is not a danger to my children! I thought you finally got over this."

Sam raised an eyebrow and stood up. "Got over it? Have you even gotten over being raped? How dare you even suggest something like that to me?"

"Franco didn't rape you," Elizabeth argued.

"Would you feel any less violated if all Tom Baker did was grope your naked body and lay on top of you?" Sam asked with disgust. "I will never get over it, Elizabeth. I will never see that man as anything put a violent monster. I just kept my mouth shut for Jake's sake. Thankfully, I don't need to anymore."

"Where is my son," Elizabeth asked.

Just then, Drew showed up in the doorway with the kids. "Sorry, I couldn't stay gone much later."

"It's okay. I don't think it would make any difference at this point," Jason said.

"Drew, you've had Jake?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yeah. We went to visit Monica," Drew said.

Elizabeth scowled at Jason. "One day with your son and you pawn him off on your brother. That's great. Come on, Jake, it's time to go home."

"No," Jake said as he stopped closer to Drew.

"Jake, come on, it's getting late. We'll pick up dinner and maybe desert on the way home," Franco said as he stepped closer.

"Stay away from me!" Jake yelled as he shrank into Drew's arms.

"Is everything okay?" Danny asked. His big brother looked scared and the bad man that was living with Jake was there. Something was going on.

"Danny, how about you and I show Scout your new room?" Sam asked.

"Okay," Danny said.

Sam went over and took Scout's carriage before leading her and Danny towards the bedrooms.

"Jake, what's wrong? We're friends," Franco said.

"No, you're not my friend. You lied to me. You hurt Sam and Jason, and Michael, and my brothers," Jake said.

Elizabeth turned to Jason. "You told him?! What is wrong with you?!"

"I told you I wouldn't lie," was all Jason said.

"Jason told me the truth because I said if he didn't, I'd look it up. I already knew Franco did something bad and I knew you'd lie to me about it," Jake said.

"I would never lie to you, Jake. Did Jason tell you that?" Elizabeth asked.

"No. I heard you tell him to lie, and when he wouldn't, you said you wouldn't let him see me anymore," Jake said.

Elizabeth looked like a deer caught in the headlights. It was several seconds before she could respond. "Jake, you're not supposed to eavesdrop."

"You're not supposed to lie either," Jake countered.

"Honey, you don't understand. What happened wasn't Franco's fault. He was sick. We'll explain it when we get home," Elizabeth said.

"No," Jake said before running into Jason's arms. "I don't want to go. I want to stay with you."

Elizabeth glared at Jason. "This is what you wanted, isn't it? To turn my son against me."

"No, I wanted you to not move a psycho in with our son. But I will put a stop to it," Jason said firmly.

"You think so? I'm not letting you take my son from me. You can't stop me from taking him home or Franco from living with us," Elizabeth said smugly.

"Elizabeth, look at your son. He's terrified," Drew said.

"Because of Jason. You can't seriously be taking his side," Elizabeth said in disbelief.

"He doesn't belong in a house with that man," Drew said as he pointed to Franco.

"Well, it's not your call. You're not Jake's father," she said scathingly.

Jake looked up at her from Jason's arms. "That's not true! He is my dad!"

"Jake, let's go. We're going home," Elizabeth said firmly.

"No! If Franco lives with you, I want to live with Jason," Jake said.

"Well, you can't. Your home is with me," she said.

"Jake, you're gonna have to go back tonight," Jason said helplessly.

"No! If they want me to go, they'll have to carry me!" Jake yelled.

"That won't be necessary," a new voice said.

Everyone turned to see Diane.

"Diane, tell us you're here because you pulled off an eleventh-hour miracle," Drew said.

"Indeed, for which I will be billing your brother double," Diane said before going over to Jason and handing him court documents.

"What is this?" Elizabeth asked nervously.

"I have just provided my client with paperwork giving him temporary custody of your son. There is also a restraining order barring Mr. Baldwin here from any contact with the child," Diane said.

"You can't do that," Franco protested. Jake meant everything to him. He couldn't be barred from seeing him.

"Actually, it was surprisingly easy once I was able to get a judge to speak with me," Diane said. Getting to a judge was the hardest part. The courthouse was booked tight all day. "The judge only needed to hear your history to make a decision."

Elizabeth looked at Jason. "You're really gonna take my son from me?"

"If you can't do what's best for him, yes," Jason said.

"You won't win," she said with a glare.

"I think you should both go. He's violating a restraining order," Jason said.

"Don't think this is over," Elizabeth said before heading to the door.

Franco left with her, sparing one more look to Jake, who immediately darted his eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

Jason was sitting in his kitchen with Diane. It had been almost a week since he'd gotten temporary custody of Jake, and they were going over how things were going to go for the final custody hearing.

"You realize this isn't going to be easy, right?" Diane asked.

Jason nodded. "It's not the first custody battle I've been a part of."

"Custody battles are ugly in general, but this one is going to get bad. Elizabeth has hired Scott Baldwin, unsurprising since he's Franco's father. He's going to dredge up everything you have ever done or been accused of doing," Diane said.

"What about what Franco's done?" Jason asked.

"Oh, trust me, I intend to bring all that up, but your past isn't much better. Plus, you have only been in Jake's life for a few weeks. You can be assured that will be brought up. So will your captivity. The other side will question your fitness after such an experience," Diane explained.

"Being held hostage doesn't mean I can't be a good father," Jason protested.

"I agree, but you will have to prove it. Even then, Elizabeth has been more of a parent than you, and that will be a huge factor," Diane said.

"Are you saying that it's hopeless?" Jason asked.

"Absolutely not. There are points you have in your favor. While both you and Franco have blemishes in your history, you are Jake's father. That makes an incredible difference. I also intend to bring up Franco's obsession with you and argue that it has extended to your son," Diane said.

"I think it has," Jason said. Franco showed too big an interest in Jake. He'd seen enough with his own eyes to believe that, and Sam and Drew had told him more that further convinced him. Franco was obsessed with Jake.

"I agree. Any shrink would've said that involving yourself with the child of the man you were obsessed with is recipe for disaster. Anyway, another thing you have for you is that Jake has actually asked to live with you. That carries a lot of weight with judges. However, you realize I'll have to put him on the stand, right? He needs to realize that as well." Diane said.

Jason nodded. "He does. I told him he'd have to testify, and that it might hurt him to hurt Elizabeth that way. He said he'd do whatever it took. He doesn't want to stay anywhere Franco is. He's afraid to even be in the same room with him."

"They're going to accuse you of parental alienation. Baldwin will say that you told Jake of Franco's past in order to get him to want to live with you. The court takes that very seriously,"

"That's not what happened," Jason said.

"I know that, but they are going to use everything they have. You need to as well," Diane said seriously.

"Everything Elizabeth has ever done needs to be fair game. Lying to both you and Lucky about Jake's paternity, lying to Drew when she thought he was you, her infidelities. All of it needs to come out," Diane said.

"You want me to drag Elizabeth through the mud?" Jason asked in disbelief. He didn't know if he could do that. Elizabeth was the mother of his child, and at one time, she'd been a friend. He didn't want to go this far. He didn't want this to turn into one of those custody battles where parents destroyed each other to win.

"She's not going to protect you, Jason. She is going to use everything she can as leverage. You have to fight back just as ugly," Diane said. She knew it was going to be hard to convince Jason to fight dirty, but he had to. It was the only way he'd win.

"It will hurt Jake," Jason said. Jake telling a judge he didn't want to live with his mother anymore was one thing. Watching his mother be torn apart would be something totally different. Could Jason really do that to him?

"Yes," Diane agreed. She wouldn't lie or pretend this wasn't going to affect Jake. Custody battles were brutal, especially for the children. "Jake will undoubtedly be hurt by watching his parents destroy each other, but do you think he'll be less hurt by going home to Franco? If you don't fight with all you have, that could very well end up happening."

Jason sighed. He thought back to the look on Jake's face when Franco approached the last time he saw him. Jake was terrified. How could Jason take the chance that his son would go back to a man that frightened him so badly. "Alright?"

"You'll let me do whatever I have to?" Diane asked.

"Yes. I need Jake to feel safe. Elizabeth can't do that for him," Jason said.

"Okay. I have no doubt that Sam will testify. Will Drew? We could use him with regards to the lies Elizabeth told him," Diane said.

"Yes. Drew and I don't like each other much, but he told me he'd do whatever he could to help me get custody," Jason said.

"Good. There's something else, and you won't like it. The court is going to appoint a psychiatrist to evaluate all parties. You will have to sit down with this person," Diane said.

Jason wasn't actually surprised to hear that. He'd gone through the same when he fought for custody of Michael. "Yeah, I figured that."

"You're going to have to participate in all sessions, especially because your fitness will come into question because of your abduction," Diane said.

"I understand. I'll do what I have to," Jason said. He hated shrinks, but he would handle it for Jake's sake," Jason said.

Just then, the door burst open. Jake walked in with Sam and Danny right behind him.

Jason stood up. "Hey, guys."

"Daddy Jason!" Danny yelled before running to his father and hugging him.

Jason hugged him back tightly. "Hey, buddy. I'm glad you're spending the weekend with us.

"Jason, why's your lawyer here? Do I have to go back to Mom's?" Jake asked with slight fear in his voice.

"No. I am just here to take about the court case with your dad. Nothing is going to change until after the hearing," Diane assured the boy.

"When will that be?" Jake asked. He hoped it was soon. He wanted to get it over with.

"We're not sure yet. Anyway, I know you guys have plans, so I'm going to leave. Jason, I'll call you to schedule an appointment for us to talk further," Diane said.

Jason nodded and watched her leave. Then he turned to Sam and the boys. "Hey, why don't you guys put your stuff in your room. Then we can get out weekend started."

"Okay. Come on, Danny," Jake said. The two of them then rushed towards their bedroom.

"Thanks for picking Jake up," Jason said to Sam.

"Yeah, it's no problem. I had to bring Danny over here anyway. It made sense for me to bring Jake home too. How's Jake doing? He seemed happy when I picked him up, but I know that just might be because he's looking forward to this weekend How's he handling things?"

Jason shrugged. "Sometimes he's fine and sometimes not. He won't draw anymore. He won't even touch the art things I got him. He wanted to give them to Danny, but I convinced him to let me pack them away in case he wants them in the future."

"That's sad. He loves art so much. He shouldn't give it up because of Franco," Sam said.

"I agree, but I don't want to push him. Diane says we're all going to have to see a shrink. I don't like it for me, but maybe it will do something for Jake," Jason said.

"Maybe. Jake's responded positively to therapy in the past," Sam said.

"Anyway, I'm just hoping to keep him happy this weekend. Speaking of, thanks for letting me have Danny for the weekend," Jason said. He was really looking forward to having both his kids for the next couple of days.

"Are you kidding? You've got Danny, and Drew has Scout. I am kid free," Sam said with a grin.

Just then, Jake and Danny came out. "Jason, can we order the pizza now?"

"Mommy, we're gonna eat pizza, watch movies and play video games tonight!" Danny said happily.

"Wow. You guys are gonna have a great time. I'm kind of jealous," Sam said to her son.

"Well, you could stay too," Danny said.

Sam laughed. "I wish I could, but I have plans of my own with your aunts."

"We'll have more fun here," Danny said. He loved his aunts, but they weren't nearly as fun as his daddy Jason and his older brother.

"I'm sure you will. Give me a hug," Sam said.

Danny ran into her arms and hugged her for a few seconds.

"I'll see you in a couple of days," Sam said as she released him. She then turned to Jake. "You think I could get a hug from you too?"

Jake grinned and hugged her tightly. "Bye, Sam."

"Bye. I'll see you soon," she said. She let him go, waved to Jason, and headed out the door.

Jason turned to his boys. "Okay, how about I order us pizza and you guys pick out our first movie."

"Yes!" Jake said before he and Danny raced to the TV.


End file.
